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In
the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive
Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county
doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her
nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole
world—especially later when she discovers him standing over her murdered
host in the middle of the night.

Among
the many things to change for her that evening are: her physical
appearance—from ghastly to breathtaking, an epidemic of night terrors
predicting the future, and the blue-eyed man’s unexpected infusion into
her life. Not only do his appearances precede tragedies, but they are
echoed by the arrival of ravenous, black-robed wraiths on moonless
nights.

Unable
to decide whether he is one of these monsters or protecting her from
them, she uncovers what her father has been concealing: truths about her
own identity, about the blue-eyed man, and about love. After an attack
close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life
and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold
into a loveless marriage, or escape with the man of her dreams and risk
becoming one of the Soulless.

Excerpt from Moonless:

Alexia
was reasonably confident that exiting the carriage was the equivalent
of stepping into Hell. She glanced out again at the grand Roman pillars
of the finest country estate in Devonshire and shivered. Just let me be invisible.

Mother
cleared her throat. Her golden tresses glowed in the lamplight leaking
through the open door. Alexia straightened up. Her mouth curled into a
forced smile as she smoothed the folds of her amber gown, the newest cut
and height of fashion for 1768.

Mother rolled her eyes, took Father’s waiting hand, and descended to the drive.

Alexia
scowled. A month ago she had turned sixteen. A month ago the
expectation to be lady-like and presentable had begun. A month ago the
nightmares had started. Her night terrors certainly resulted from
Father’s talk of making her a match early—before anyone had a chance to
glimpse the ghastly girl and advise the gentleman against it. Her
too-thin frame and sunken jowls were enough to keep her own eyes away
from reflective surfaces. How could she fault others for sharing that
opinion?

Father extended a hand. “Alexia, come.”

She’d
inherited his dark tresses, but that’s where her resemblance to this
handsome man ended. He gave her a grim smile and assisted her down
before taking his wife’s arm. Her parents pulled together, draping her
in their shadow—though out of embarrassment or a need to shelter her,
she couldn’t decide.

“Ah,
the Dumonts! It’s been six years since I’ve had the pleasure.” Baron
Galedrew bounced on the balls of his feet as they arrived at the top
step. He had only recently returned from living in London, and Alexia
didn’t remember quite so many wrinkles.

“Welcome,
welcome! And who is this?” He pushed her parents apart. His creased
brow doubled, lip drawing back in a grimace. He coughed. “This cannot be Alexia, can it? What a . . . mature young woman you are becoming.” He bowed.

She curtsied, wishing she could douse the heat in her cheeks and hurtle back into the carriage. “You are too kind.”

He opened his mouth to speak.

Thunder
pealed behind them. She turned, ready for a distraction, any
distraction. A cloud of dust billowed up against the sky, masking the
night. With a shimmering white mane, a speckled grey horse sped toward
them, the forerunner of an approaching storm, a rider bent over its
neck. The beast skidded to a halt at the foot of the steps, spraying
dust.

Alexia
froze, unable to move even to save her hem from the prevailing dirt.
That horse, she knew that horse—but it could not be!

“Oh dear,” the Baron uttered.

A
cloaked stranger leapt from the animal and approached through the
filthy cloud, face masked in a menacing hood. Alexia stumbled back
toward Father.

The
newcomer stopped two steps below, head turned in her direction. Her
knees shuddered. With a slower but still harried gait, he ascended.

“You will excuse me.” The baron shook hands with her father and hurried into the house.

As
the stranger rounded her parents, she glanced up to find him watching
her. Though his face remained in shadow, the light caught his eyes, eyes
that radiated the hue of deep still waters below wooded boughs—eyes
that resonated with her soul.

She
grabbed Father’s arm as the stranger disappeared after Galedrew. She
forced herself to breathe. Surely she was mistaken—he could not be the
same . . .

Alexia’s mind whirled, snatches of the dream racing through her memory:

Starlight
streaked across the silvery hair of the man who lay on the entry’s
floor, glassy-eyed. His open mouth was frozen in a gasp or silenced
scream, a ladle protruding from the breast of his night-dress. Real,
warm, oozing blood . . . It pooled across the estate’s open doorway and
stained her fingers . . . A speckled gray stallion shrieked in the
drive. She cringed into the shadows as the beast’s master, a cloaked
stranger, snapped around. Blue eyes flashed.

Father growled, ripping her out of the memory. “Not fit to be seen in a nobleman’s home!”

She
blinked up at him. No one? Then why did Mother look as though she might
faint? Why did his eyes hold a darkness and rage reserved for the
greatest of miscreants? And most importantly, how had the stranger found
a place in her nightmares?

My Review: Moonless, set in 1768, is a great combination of a Gothic mystery, romance, and paranormal. From the very first you are thrown into a world of intrigue that holds the "Passionate" and also the "Soulless". The heroine, Alexia, finds her whole world changed when she turns 16 and finds out that she is not a mere human. Her dreams are haunted by the deaths of others. She finds out that things around her are not what they seem. As you read you will have more questions then answers. Those readers who think they always figure out what is happening early on in stories, well think again. You will be as mystified as everyone else as Alexia will not know who to trust. She also falls for the strange and handsome man, Kiren, with the piercing blue eyes that steals her heart.

Honestly, this book is nothing like I have read before. This book is for older teens and adults (as there is some violence and major kissing going on...but nothing else.) The world is built slowly and it unfolds in a haunting and sometimes terrifying way. With great characters, intense scenes and a boatload of intrigue, you will be flying through the pages of Moonless like I was. It's a good thing that there will be more in this series to follow.

Meet Author Crystal Collier:Crystal, author of MOONLESS, is a former composer/writer for
Black Diamond Productions. She can be found practicing her
brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing
about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to
coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three
littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet).
Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of
cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

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Note: Added 7-22-2014...I am suspending any reviews from new authors for a few months. I'll still be open to reviews from authors I've reviewed for previously. I am back logged with reviews and my new school year is starting soon. I will show here on the blog when I'll be accepting new review requests.

I am accepting books for review from authors and publishers. I will read most genres, but I prefer clean romances. I will review books, hold contests and interview authors; just explain in your e-mail about the particulars . Please contact me here at WhyNotBecauseISaidSo@gmail.com

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